Mobilization Against War and Occupation-MAWO
Statement on the June 2nd 2006 arrests in the Toronto
area

June 9/ 2006

On Friday June 2nd seventeen mostly young, all Muslim
men were arrested in South-Western Ontario under
unspecified allegations of being involved in a
“terrorist plot.” Alongside the Canadian military’s
spring transition from a housekeeping occupation
presence in Kabul to a savage combat mission in
Southern Afghanistan, the arrest of the Toronto 17 has
signaled that the war at home – a couple steps behind
the war abroad – has entered its own “combat mission”
against the democratic and human rights of oppressed
people in Canada.

The Toronto 17, already found guilty of “terrorism” by
the anti-Muslim smokescreen of the government of
Canada and the mainstream media, represent something
important for working, poor and oppressed people in
Canada. The storm troopers of the right wing of
Canadian politics are entering through the window of
the arrest of the Toronto 17 into the homes of all
Muslims in Canada.

TERRORISM OR STATE TERRORIST FRAME-UP?

One week into the saga of the arrest of the Toronto 17
still no charges have been released. The “allegations”
that the Toronto 17 were involved in a “terrorist
plot” have not been elaborated beyond allegation. The
synopsis of the prosecution’s case that was presented
at the June 6th court appearance was still nothing but
a collection of imaginary police allegations.

The arrests come as result of a two-year investigation
group of 17. If there was evidence of a “terrorist
plot” the crown prosecution would have been certain to
include some of this evidence in the synopsis
documents presented at the first appearance of the
Toronto 17 in court on June 6th. But no facts were
presented. Instead, a mere 8 page summary of the case
was presented to the defense lawyers. The desperation
of the prosecution team in trying to dig up “evidence”
was evident in the ludicrous allegations that were
found in these 8 pages. These allegations have been
broadcasted through international media as fact. They
include a “plot” to bomb parliament buildings, and the
“plot” to kidnap parliamentarians and to “behead”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In fact, none of these
“plots” were elaborated or developed into actual
“plots” but have been presented as court evidence as
loose talk, personal desires, and thoughts. In place
of evidence of intent to carry out these “plots” the
government has substituted further allegation of
“terrorist camps” and circumstantial evidence of the
“3 tons of ammonium nitrate,” allegedly sold and
delivered to the 17 by a sting operation of the police
and government themselves.

But the lack of evidence presented against the Toronto
17 has not stopped the government or media from
convicting the 17 in the court of public opinion of
“terrorist plotting” and launching an unprecedented
fear mongering campaign. The lack of evidence has not
stopped the courts and prisons from violating every
civil, democratic, human, and legal right of the
Toronto 17 – keeping them in solitary confinement,
denying them all (including the 5 minors arrested)
access to their lawyers, families, and eachother.
“Rule of Law” indeed. And the lack of evidence against
the Toronto 17 has certainly not stopped the
government and racist war mongering ruling class from
taking the opportunity to ratchet up anti-Muslim
hysteria, hostility, and paranoia in the media and
amongst “average Canadians.”

Here we find the truth. The guilt or innocence of the
Toronto 17 is not important as far as the Canadian war
drive is concerned. The motivation for these arrests
at this particular time has nothing to do with the
alleged actions or “plots” of the Toronto 17. The
arrests have everything to do with covering up the
government’s war drive in Afghanistan, dividing Muslim
and non-Muslim oppressed and working people in Canada,
and pouring the foundation for a new round of attacks
on the rights of immigrants, refugees, and all working
and poor people in Canada.

FEAR OF TERRORISTS = SUPPORT FOR WAR

Since the May 17th vote in parliament to extend
Canada’s combat mission in Southern Afghanistan until
2009 opinion polls have found a steady climb in public
opposition to Canada’s occupation of Afghanistan. And
just two days after the arrests, and buried beneath
the Islamophobic media storm, was the news that the
occupation forces in Southern Afghanistan – forces
under Canada’s control – will be doubled so “[w]hat
you're going to see is a massive influx of new troops,
more troops than the Afghans have seen in a long
time.'' (Canadian Lt.-Col. Ian Hope, June 4th 2006)

In answer to the growing anti-war sentiment amongst
people in Canada, the government of Canada borrowed a
trick from the masters of fear mongering in the US
government. Immediately after the arrest of the 17,
Liberal MP Wajjid Khan quoted the “hateful comments”
of Qayyum Abdul Jamal, the so-called “ringleader” of
the Toronto 17 when the MP visited a Jamal’s mosque
last summer. MP Khan recalled, "[Jamal] went on saying
that we don’t need him [MP Khan] here, that our
government is telling us what to do and that the
Canadian troops in Afghanistan have gone there to rape
Muslim women."

In the halls of “justice”, parliament, and the
newspapers rang a new truth… that opposing Canada’s
occupation of Afghanistan is equal to terrorism, or at
least supporting terrorism.

The proven success of this racist and Islamophobic
campaign shows in the voices of people across Canada
on AM talk-radio call-in shows. Many of us have been
fooled. Many do not see the refusal of democratic,
civil, and legal rights to the Toronto 17 as an attack
on “our” rights – because we have been fooled. We do
not see the attack on the democratic rights of all
Muslims to express their opposition to the
government’s war drive as an attack on “our” rights –
because we have been fooled. This is the poison of the
racist and Islamophobic campaign of the government and
war mongers; they are dividing working and oppressed
people in Canada along the lines of race and religion
so that we cannot defend our collectively held rights.
This divisive campaign pops and explodes in attacks of
race hatred and Islamophobia like the June 4th
vandalism of a Toronto mosque.

In the very moment of the racist and Islamophobic heat
wave, the deputy director of the Canadian Security
Intelligence Service (CSIS)’s pronouncement was
released that about 90 percent of immigration
applicants from Pakistan and Afghanistan in the past
five years have not been sufficiently screened for
“security concerns.” The lesson is, of course, that
more restrictions are necessary to curb the threat of
“terrorism” that comes to Canada with Muslim
immigrants. Restrictions like Security Certificates –
a Canadian legal clause that allows the arrest and
indefinite detention of non-citizens of Canada for
suspicion of involvement in “terrorism” without
evidence or charges. Coincidentally, the
constitutionality of Security Certificates are set to
go before Supreme Court on Monday June 12th – just
over one week after the arrest of the 17.

NO TO ANTI-MUSLIM FEAR MONGERING! DEFEND THE TORONTO 17!

Under government driven racist and Islamophobic
hysteria, the Toronto 17 do not stand a chance of a
fair trial anywhere in Canada. For working, poor and
oppressed people in Canada, the real threat to our
“security” does not come from oppressed people –
Muslim or otherwise. The clear and present danger to
our security, our civil liberties and democratic and
human rights comes from a government that is using the
frame-up case of the Toronto 17 as a cover-up for
their war drive in Afghanistan, and their assaults on
the rights of working and oppressed people in Canada.

Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) calls
on all organizations and people committed to the cause
of peace and social justice to take a stand against
the government of Canada’s war drive, and against this
racist, anti-Muslim arrest of the Toronto 17. We must
stand in defense of the democratic, human, and civil
rights of Muslims and all oppressed people in Canada.
In the case of the Toronto 17, these rights are what
really stand trial.

End Attacks on Muslims!
Defend the Toronto 17!
End the criminal occupation of Afghanistan!
Stop the Canadian War Drive!
Stop all attacks on the rights of immigrants and refugees!

VANCOUVER, JUNE 9-2006

June 13 2006

Public Forum Photo Report

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Terrorism,State Terrorism, Problems & Solutions: What is behind the case of the Toronto 17